Meaning & use
downpour
Last updated
UK/ˈdaʊn.pɔː/
US/ˈdaʊn.pɔːr/
Meaning
nouncountable
A sudden, very heavy fall of rain.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a downpour or heavy downpours.
Patterns
- a heavy downpour
- be caught in a downpour
- downpours of rain
We got caught in a sudden downpour and arrived completely soaked.
The match was stopped by a heavy downpour in the second half.
Summer downpours often last only ten minutes or so.
Word forms
| plural | downpours |
|---|
Common combinations
- a heavy downpour
- A heavy downpour flooded the streets within minutes.
- be caught in a downpour
- I was caught in a downpour without an umbrella.
- sudden downpour
- A sudden downpour sent everyone running for shelter.
- torrential downpour
- Torrential downpours caused the river to rise overnight.
- downpour of rain
- A brief downpour of rain cooled the air.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cloudburst
- A cloudburst is even more dramatic and usually very short; use it for extreme, almost flooding rain.
- shower
- A shower is lighter and often brief; a downpour is much heavier.
- rainstorm
- A rainstorm can last for hours and includes wind; a downpour focuses on the intensity of the rain.
Opposites
Word family
- pour verb
- To make a liquid flow quickly out of a container, or (of rain) to fall heavily.
Commonly confused: downpour or drizzle?
downpour vs drizzle
Drizzle is very light rain, the opposite of a downpour; learners sometimes use downpour for any rain.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'downpour' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Downpour' means heavy, sudden rain, so 'caught in a sudden downpour' fits. The other options describe light rain or sunshine, which contradicts the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “downpour”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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